COLUMBUS — A $2 million-plus renovation of the Trotter Convention Center will begin later this year, city officials say. The Commercial Dispatch reports work on the city-owned building could take up to two years. Mayor Robert Smith said initial work will be done on the interior, including installing Wi-Fi, upgrading restrooms, installing a new elevator from the Second Avenue North ...

JACKSON and MADISON — Officials say the Sam’s Club in north Jackson is considering a move to Madison because of structural problems with its existing building. Officials with Sam’s Club, parent company Wal-Mart, and the mayor of Madison haven’t said much about the possible move. Jerry Cook, Madison’s economic development director, told The Clarion-Ledger last week that talks about the ...

HATTIESBURG — Work to restore one of the original structures on the University of Southern Mississippi’s Hattiesburg campus to its former glory is in the final stages. College Hall, built in 1912, will re-open during the spring 2013 semester and serve as home to its new occupant, the School of Mass Communication and Journalism. Campus radio station WUSM-FM and The ...

JACKSON — Constar International, LLC, a global producer of plastic containers for food and beverages that has previously announced its intention to focus on plastic packaging for technologically advanced and specialty applications, is reducing its presence in the commodity carbonated soft drink (CSD) market. “With a large contract to supply commodity CSD products expiring at the end of 2012, we ...

CANTON — The Nissan Canton Vehicle Assembly Plant is preparing to celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2013. The company will commemorate the anniversary with a series of events that highlight the accomplishments of its more than 5,000 employees and underscore its commitment to the Metro Jackson community and Central Mississippi. Dan Bednarzyk , vice president and plant manager at the ...

BLUE SPRINGS — Toyota celebrated the 25 millionth vehicle manufactured in North America today at a ceremony at its Georgetown, Ky. plant coinciding with the start of production for the all-new 2013 Avalon. Of those 25 million vehicles, 111,000 were built in Mississippi at the Blue Springs plant, according to Toyota. The milestone vehicle — a Classic Silver Hybrid Avalon ...

JACKSON — Cal-Maine Foods Inc. has reached an agreement to acquire the commercial egg operations of Maxim Production Co. Inc. Terms were not disclosed. The assets to be purchased by Cal-Maine include a feed mill and two production complexes with capacity for approximately 3.5 million laying hens with related pullet capacity, all located near Boling, Texas. In addition, the acquisition ...

REDWOOD — A settlement has been reached in a federal lawsuit brought by a man who was injured in a deadly explosion at an International Paper Co. mill in Mississippi in 2008. Jeb D. Slade settled his lawsuit after a hearing yesterday in U.S. District Court in Natchez. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. The lawsuit was filed ...

NATCHEZ — A Natchez plant will shut down operations at its plant near the Natchez-Adams County Port. The Natchez Democrat reports Mississippi River Pulp (formerly Mississippi River Corporation) will close down its recycled fiber mill effective Oct. 31. The closure, which company officials said is due to lack of demand, will affect 79 hourly and salaried workers. An employee who ...